


Star Wars: The Night of Broken Crystals

by Central



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2018-12-25 17:01:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12040302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Central/pseuds/Central
Summary: The galaxy is once again at war. Republican troops and the legions of the Sith Empire are fighting for control over thousands of star systems. The Jedi won a crucial victory when a small strike team managed to kill the last vessel containing Sith Emperor Vitiate’s spirit and revealed his plans to destroy the galaxy. However, Vitiate’s loyal servant, the dreaded WRATH OF THE EMPEROR, swore revenge and lead a merciless crusade through known space. After a successful conquest of the world Makeb, the Wrath is returning to the Sith home world:KORRIBANThe Night of Broken Crytsals is a short story I wrote for an english class project and I thought I can share it with you. It's loosely set between the conquest of Makeb and the storyline of Shadow of Revan. The story follows the in the Dark Council and other influencial groups.





	1. DECEIT

In the centre of the Imperial capital on the sorrowful world of Dromund Kaas, a meeting of the highest importance was being held, high up in one of the towers of the citadel. The all dominating fortress laid under the eye of an enormous thunderstorm, drenching the capital and its surrounding jungle with constant rain. This was the heart of the imperial government, hosting the many ministries which controlled every inch of its citizens’ life. An ancient building, likely hundreds or thousands of years old, the citadel was built in the prominent style that featured across the skyline of Kaas City. Gigantic blocks of dark concrete, turned black by the rain, were used to house huge statues and banners.

The circular meeting room was located in the tower above the Ministry of War. The inside itself was held to a sleek and simple standard. One half was enclosed by a window which gave a magnificent view of Kaas City’s skyline, while a shining, black, round table filled out the centre. Ten metallic seats were placed around it, two of which were occupied.

The men sitting on them were looking at a holo-projection of a third one. The three were engaged in a heated discussion until one thrust himself out of his chair. His devilish face, tinged in scarlet red and the branching horns he possessed instead of eyebrows, indicated he was of pure-blooded Sith descent. Not only that, but he was also the supreme commander of the Imperial offensive forces, fifth member of the Dark Council, the Empire’s ruling body, and carried the name Darth Arkous.

“She vowed to serve the Emperor, not the Council! There is no reason we should entrust her with that much firepower.” He said, while his bright yellow eyes darted from side to side looking for approval.

“The construction of this fleet was part of our agreement, Arkous. Either way, it was you who wanted her to join the war. And it was your decision to support her with your own troops.” The second man, concealed by a closed mask and a hood, replied with a synthetic voice. Darth Marr was his name, Supreme Commander of the defence forces and also member of the Dark Council.

The woman he talked about was no usual person, she was a Sith Lord, and even for a Sith she was no ordinary one. Although she possessed no real position in the Imperial government, she had once been the second highest authority of the Sith Order. Appointed by the godlike Sith Emperor Vitiate as his embodied wrath and enforcer, she was responsible to crush any rebellious tendencies amongst the ambitious ranks of the Order. That was however, until a few months later the Emperor was mysteriously assassinated by a secretive group of Jedi. Thereafter, the Emperor’s Wrath - as she was titled – struggled to keep her authority.

“We only heard about Vitiate’s betrayal when she was about to take Corellia.” Arkous retorted.

Marr shook his head. Arkous had given that excuse for the last two years and it started to annoy him, despite the fact that Arkous was telling the truth.

Arkous, feeling provoked, drew his head back. “What do you think I ought to have done? Risk losing an entire army and the control over the system?”  

“Her campaign turned out to be surprisingly successful. I didn’t think it would be necessary to interfere then.”

From the holo-projector came another synthetic voice. “You allowed her to gain influence because of your greed and now you seek us out to help you.”

Their attention shifted to the third man, who was dressed in wide purple robes. As with Marr his head too was encased in a mask, though it was plain and without any facial features, giving off a much stranger, more furtive presence. His name was Jadus. Darth Jadus was no military man like Marr or Arkous, his domain laid in deception, espionage and assassination. He controlled the true but hidden reason for the Empire’s success: the Imperial Intelligence Service or simply the IIS.

Arkous let out a deep sigh. “Oh stop.”

“And it was you who insisted on conquering Makeb. You wanted to get your hands full of this Isotope 5.” Marr completed Jadus’ statement, further emphasizing the dilemma in which they had found themselves.

Isotope 5, a liquid which had recently been discovered on the neutral world of Makeb, was found to improve the performance of ship engines by astonishing nine-hundred percent. Imperial scientists were counting on it as being the crucial component to win the war. But Isotope 5 was rare, and couldn’t be attained easily. Arkous’ promise to the Wrath therefore was problematic, as it would mean the transfer of large amounts of Isotope 5 directly under her control.

Now, after three years of fighting, the Wrath was about to return. The army she was given, had been reorganized. Officers who refused to swear allegiance to her cause were expelled and replaced. This led Arkous to become increasingly concerned about the idea of the Wrath possibly still being loyal to the Emperor.

It was likely he didn’t want to bear the responsibility in case of a schism with the Wrath. To lose his face in front of the Dark Council or worse, the Sith Order as a whole, was an image which – one could presume – pushed him to act. But although Marr and Jadus were far from being naïve, they both thought of the Wrath as being rational enough not to rebel. Their attitude hadn’t changed yet, and Arkous felt how he was about to lose their attention.

“Isotope 5 would give our troops the needed advantage. The upper hand… in a possible confrontation. That is the sole and only reason I wanted her to invade this planet.” Arkous told them, while he gesticulated in a rough manner.

Marr was not impressed by Arkous’ fuss; in fact he was dangerously close to losing his patience. He stood up from his chair and leaned his palms on the table. “Your motives and initial hopes don’t change anything on this matter.” He nearly yelled.

After he calmed himself a bit, Marr went on. “Apparently you have forgotten, but the agreement with Lord Chepesh included that the first series of Isotope 5 engines are to be used in her ships. The engines are already installed. And, these ships will be finished in just about two weeks. So tell me Arkous, why should we risk resources and the control over the newly conquered systems on another internal power struggle? Wasn’t Malgus enough? Or the Dread Masters?” He inquired.

Arkous was in no position to argue. His concerns were simply not valid enough for them to be taken seriously. He turned towards the window behind him and gazed into the stormy night.

“Then what do you propose?” Arkous asked perplexed. “Doing nothing?”

He turned around. With narrowed eyes he glanced at the two masked Sith. “And what if I’m proven right? If she really conspires with Vitiate? We can’t afford to be negligent.”

Marr and Jadus gave each other a quick glance.

“The way we take it,” Marr responded. “the Emperor’s Wrath is not much more than a dog without a leash. Give her a bone to chew on and she will rip apart whatever you tell her to.”

Arkous became visibly more agitated. Still standing, he rapidly tapped his fingers on his chin. All of a sudden he started to pace in search of an idea. Meanwhile, Marr and Jadus quietly observed him. Then it struck Arkous and he turned towards Jadus in the holo-projection.

With determination in his eyes he addressed the waiting Lord. “Do you remember when I asked you about some dubious business the Inquisition was involved in? When I asked if you could monitor them for me?” One couldn’t see it beneath the faceless mask, but upon hearing Arkous’ referral to the Inquisition – a dreaded Sith Cult in service against any form of internal ideological corruption – into the debate, he became quite interested.

Jadus tilted his head. “I do remember, Arkous.”

“And what did the Intel Service conclude?” Arkous asked with a suppressed grin on his face.

“A closer examination by one of my agents brought to light a number of unconventional orders which had been given by the Inquisition’s High Command.”

“But what exactly did you mean by unconventional orders?” Arkous persisted.

In the holo-projection, Jadus stayed motionless for a few moments before he began to type something on an invisible console. Simultaneously, blue shining projections of data files appeared in front of Marr’s and Arkous’ seats.

“Classified datapads; they were revealed to contain a list of approximately a quarter of the Armed Forces’ personnel, a notable majority of which serve under Arkous’ command. Private information, location tracking. Undoubtedly the Inquisitors have spared no effort to collect every last bit of information they could get. And it’s not only the Armed Forces; their agents have gotten hold of entrance codes to various facilities in most of our systems.” Jadus commented.

“Ministry departments, spaceports… not even the fortified emergency shelters have been left out.” Arkous added.

On the opposite side of the table, Marr wiped the projections aside. “If you are concerned about the details of these investigations, I advise you to approach Darth Aruk and his Inquisition directly. Accost him with your claims. What concerns me however, is the fact that you saw the need to poke around in his business. Where did your suspicion even come from?”

Finger wagging, Arkous stood up and continued to walk in circles. “After hearing hundreds of my most loyal and highly decorated officers – many of which I knew personally - got confined and ended up in Inquisitorial dungeons.” He replied. “The amount of missing personnel posed a threat to the integrity of my forces. I asked Aruk what they were accused of, only to be told they had alleged ties to the Revanites.”

Arkous looked at Marr over his shoulder. “Can you imagine that? Revanites?” He asked with an ironic laugh.

“What do you mean? The Revanites are a disease. It is well within possible they infested your ranks.”

Arkous again stopped walking and turned towards Marr to face him directly. “If we are going by this data, ten thousands of soldiers are supposed to be part of a cult, whose main base of operations was a camp out in the jungle and whose leaders got publicly executed four years ago, right down there.” He pointed towards Kaas City’s ghostly silhouette.  “I don’t believe a damn word of this hermit Aruk.”

Marr had enough at this point. “Then spit it out Arkous, what do you want from us?” He asked angered.

“The Inquisition is planning something. Something grand scaled. This state of alertness is unlike anything we have seen from them to date. To be frank, I believe the Inquisition is plotting to turn against the Council.”

“Are you out of your mind? The Inquisitors _rebelling_ against the Empire?”

“He’s speaks the truth, Marr.” Jadus replied, while putting his arms behind his back. “They are gearing up and have deliberately weakened Arkous’ forces, despite the fact that we haven’t heard anything of the Revanites ever since they got fumigated out of their hideout.”

Arkous sighed. “Look,” He said to Marr. “What I feel, is that the return of the Emperor’s Wrath and the precautions the Inquisitors have made, fall too close together to be coincidental. So I’m saying it now: the Inquisition and the Emperor’s Wrath plan to overthrow the Dark Council and bring Vitiate back to life.”

Marr leaned back in his chair. “I must admit I’m baffled how he got you, Jadus, to believe his story.”

“The facts support such a train of thought.” Jadus replied.

“I see.”

Arkous began to smile slightly. “No need to worry, Marr. Of course, I’m absolutely convinced about the truth my theory holds. I can feel it. But don’t believe your concerns are being ignored.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh yes!” Arkous answered pleased. “You even changed my mind. See, I understand now how dangerous it could turn out to be, to openly brand both groups as traitors. It would cause irreversible damage to the Sith Order and the Dark Council, should we be wrong.”

Arkous fell silent. He hoped            to agitate Marr to ask what he had in mind, what grand plan he had come up with in the last minutes. But Marr didn’t say a word.

The smile faded out of Arkous’ spiked face. More reserved and stern he continued to explain, “So I’ve developed a cunning plan in order to deal with this precarious situation. The first step requires us to block the Wrath’s access to her ships; this takes her the ability to use them, should it come to a full-fledged rebellion.”

“How do you mean to accomplish this _blockade_?” Marr asked.

“The ships are still being assembled in Corellian dockyards. As far as I know Coronet City and the surrounding docks are directly administered by your troops.” Arkous explained, while pointing at Marr.” Tell her the ships aren’t completed yet; make something up: explosions on the constructing site, a Selonian uprising, choose whatever you like.”

Now, he turned towards the holo, clenching his fist. “For the next step we need the full power of the Imperial Intelligence. Jadus, your agents should monitor the Inquisition’s behaviour, follow their every move. If we want to uncover the true meaning behind this plot, it is absolutely vital to gather as much information as we can.”

“I agree, yet I’d be very delighted to know how we hinder the two groups from rising up in the meantime.” Jadus stated.

 “That includes the third and last precaution we have to take.”Arkous replied, grinning.  “I don’t mean in any way to stop them yet, what I had rather in mind was something more of a distraction. You know, keeping them busy while forcing them to communicate through less secretive channels.”

Convinced by Arkous’ suggestion, Jadus crossed his arms. “The idea seems reasonable, they wouldn’t be able to cooperate directly and we’d get opportunities to see behind the curtain of betrayal and deception.”

“Exactly.”Arkous pointed.

“Very well then, I will send word to my minions.”

“And meanwhile I will order the troops to cut all communication from the docks to the rest of the Empire.” Marr added in. “I might as well release small groups of Corellian partisans into the area to create the appearance of uprisings.”

 “Splendid!” Arkous exclaimed with great relish. As his plan was taking shape and the last doubts had vanished, he sensed how he was finally back in control over the situation. “Every piece moves into position. Now, the only thing remaining would be the staging of a diversion.”

Marr fell back into his chair. “Then I take it you already have thought of something.”

“Indeed I have. Fooling the Inquisition will be easy; I will distract them with large numbers of false alerts about Revanite activity.”

“And the Wrath?” Marr continued doubtfully.

Arkous acknowledged the missing part of his devious scheme. “Well, any plan has its weaknesses, hasn’t it?”

Marr huffed.

 “Can’t you just send her back to the frontlines?” Jadus proposed.

Pressurised, Arkous began to walk around again. “I would if that was an option. But the Wrath has explicitly stated she wished to have a break from the front lines; that she and her troops were tired of fighting. Of course that’s all just talk.” He said, while shaking his head. “No, she won’t go back to the battlefield, but anything of less importance assigned to her, and she’ll immediately start to ask questions.”

The three fell silent for a few moments.

Jadus broke the silence. “Darth Nox could be of help.”

Confused, Arkous drew his head back. “Nox? Of what help could this half-dead hag possibly be? I haven’t seen in her in several months now, she hasn’t been to any of the council meetings either. I’m slowly starting to think she has completely lost her mind in the archives.”

Jadus tried to ease Arkous’ resistance. “Admittedly, Nox could only be described as having a peculiar personality; nonetheless she might offer what we need.”

“And that would be what? A job as a museum guide?”

“You are mistaken. I have talked quite a lot to her in the past weeks and she said she was searching for volunteers to help her in one of the excavations she has running.”

Arkous had no friendly ear in relation to Darth Nox. As Nox controlled the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge, her job was to find and curate important artefacts from the history of the Empire and the Sith. This went against Arkous’ believes of an Empire strictly dedicated to military advancement.

“Ah, so you want to distract the Wrath by giving her a shovel, telling her to dig up the crystallized remains of Ajunta Pall’s last breakfast and analyse them over the course of the next weeks, am I correct?” He marked ironically.

Rather than being offended, Jadus remained calm. “Quite the contrary; she stated she needed volunteers who are capable of defending themselves. The last teams she sent into the site never came back, which means the Wrath could take the bait.”

While he listened to Jadus, Arkous expression lit up with more joy than ever before. “And should the Wrath suffocate to whatever haunts the excavation site, even better. Oh, if I could carry a tune I would sing of this day. What a marvellous idea, Jadus.”

“Then this is settled.” Jadus concluded, while nodding slightly. “I will contact Nox to arrange her presence in the next Council meeting.”

As Jadus finished his sentence, his holo-projection vanished in an instant, leaving Marr and Arkous alone in the meeting room.

“Impossible, that man!” Rolling his eyes, Arkous commented.

Marr’s view turned back from the holo-projector. “Very well Arkous, let’s see where your suspicion and smart plans will lead us.”

Arkous smiled. “Rest assured, my friend. Neither the Inquisition nor the Wrath will stop the Empire on its path to galactic dominance.”


	2. RETURN

“Master?”

Hearing her apprentice calling her from a distance, Darth Chepesh opened her eyes. The Wrath was kneeling in front of a small altar inside her cabin. Candles and a knife surrounded the tiny figure of a hooded person. She held her trembling fist above a small wooden bowl, droplets of blood ran down her fingers. She had called her Master - Emperor Vitiate - in his slumber, to honour and thank him for his guidance.

“Master?” Her apprentice called again.

The excited voice of the Wrath’s apprentice, Jaesa, was echoing through the chambers of her ship, the _Fury_. The former Jedi Padawan had come into Lord Chepesh’s service some time after the Sith Lord had converted her to the dark side.

“Oh, Master!” The dark haired girl called, as she looked through the cabin’s door. “Good, you‘re awake. You can get ready, we have just exited hyperspace.” she said with a reverent tone.

 The Wrath answered her calls. “Very well, I see you have already prepared yourself. Go and wait at the boarding bay for me.” She replied, waving her hand as an order for Jaesa to leave.

The young apprentice bowed lowly.

“Yes, my master.” She said, before she left.

Darth Chepesh stood up from the altar. She walked towards her cabinet, grabbed a clean towel and wiped the cut on her hand with it. After she was done with her wound, she began taking out pieces of her armour. Looking around, she realised some part of it seemed to be missing.

“V3! Have you seen my cloak and my mask?“ She shouted out of her cabin.

A few moments later her servant droid, V-3E7, came lumbering through the door. In his right hand rested, perfectly folded, her scarlet red cloak, while in his left hand he held the mask; likewise coloured in red and white patterns.

“Your equipment is here, your Excellency.“ The droid stated. “I am utterly sorry that your Lordship had to wait, it will not happen again.” He excused, while walking further towards the Wrath’s desk.

Wondering about the droid’s unusual attitude the Wrath watched with raised eyebrows as he safely placed both items on her desk. He caught her gaze and stood still.

“You seem stressed. Did something happen?”

The droid’s metal frame turned towards her. “The wildlife of Makeb happened, my Lord. The ooze which some of the creatures eject, seems to be extensively resistant to any known cleaning devices. Your mask and cloak still had some of it on them, so I had to take more _drastic measures_.” He explained.

Astounded, Chepesh looked at the cloak and mask on her desk.

Turning back to V3, she asked: “And by _drastic measures_ you mean what…?”

His reply was cheerful. “It involved the treatment of your belongings with the emissions from the ship’s engines, your Lord.”

Darth Chepesh didn’t fully understand the droid’s explanation. However, since her belongings seemed undamaged, and most importantly clean, she did not insist.      

“All right V3, leave now. Don’t forget to prepare lunch while Jaesa and I are settling our business on Korriban.”

He nodded, and left silently.

She turned back towards her desk, grabbed her scarlet cloak, put it over the shoulders and fastened its clasps onto her cuirass.  Lastly, she took her mask and put it on. The device sealed itself and the internal systems started to work.

She quickly exited the room, marched through the ship’s main corridor and ascended a small stairway into the cockpit of the _Fury_. The rest of the crew was just about to engage landing. Sitting on the com-console was Lieutenant Commander Malavai Quinn, her personal connection to the Imperial Navy. Hearing him wildly debate, one could tell he was about to negotiate the landing permit with the ground staff. The procedure was time consuming since the security protocols for a landing on Korriban could easily comprise dozens of codes that needed to be given correctly.

Fortunately for the Wrath, she had someone of Quinn‘s measures in command, holding high the Imperial values of loyalty, order, and foremost, possessing the skill to be of use to his Sith overlords. He saw Darth Chepesh entering the cockpit.

He firmly stood up and saluted. “My Sith Lord, I was just about to transmit the last remaining codes for the temporary deactivation of the academy’s turbolaser batteries. Shall I proceed?”

Her response was assertive. “You may continue as planned, Lieutenant.”

“As you command, my Lord.” He answered relieved to avoid further small talk, before he returned to his seat.

Behind him on one of the three main controls, sat a young, blue skinned Twi’Lek named Vette. Vette had taken over the steering wheel in Chepesh’s absence and was smoothly piloting the _Fury_ into the planet’s orbit.

Chepesh and Vette connected a deep friendship from the time before Chepesh had completed her training. She was given to Chepesh as a gift from her first Master. Vette had the order to guide her through an ancient Sith tomb during her last trial on Korriban. Ironically, it had been the tomb in which Vette had been caught stealing ancient artefacts. Her knowledge about the tomb’s trap mechanisms had saved her life and gained her Chepesh’s respect. After Chepesh’s success in the last trial, she kept the Twi’lek and became close friends with her. However, her anti-authoritarian character made her the complete opposite of Quinn, which caused a good amount of irritating incidents among the two.

„Well let’s hope that Captain Empire here saves the day again and manages to convince these guys on the ground with the big guns not to shoot at us. That wouldn’t look well on the last page of your service record, right, Quinn?” Vette grinned.

Quinn looked up for a brief moment, staring at her with combination of irritation and resentment on his face, before he lowered his gaze again and concentrated on his screen.

Quinn’s silence painted a satisfied smile on her face. Although she did not really have anything against him, his stiff behaviour made him the perfect target for her jests.  Darth Chepesh could have intervened, but their short-lived quarrels entertained her far too much for her to do so.

“Thank you for flying with Twi’Lek Cruise, we hope you appreciated this marvelous flight and wish you a pleasant stay on that dry, desolated piece of rock down there.” She announced bothered, circling around in her seat.

Chepesh shook her head in amusement. “I see you still have reservations against Korriban’s natural beauty.”

Vette turned towards her, having an expression of confusion on her face. “We haven’t had the happiest memories with regards to this place, have we? _Natural beauty_ …” She said with disbelief. “You know what I mean…nothing is _natural_ here, especially the wildlife. And beauty? Well, just look at a K’lor slug for example. I don’t think I have to add anything more.”

Quinn’s voice suddenly came from behind. “I am sorry to interrupt your conversation my Lord, but the confirmation codes have been transmitted and accepted, the landing may begin.”

“Very good! Quinn, change to the sensor console and assist Vette in the landing. This will be a very decisive day for the Empire. Now, I want attention and discipline from both of you.”

Quinn saluted. “On your command, my Lord!”

 “You’re the boss, but I cannot guarantee for anything,” called Vette after the Wrath headed through the door.

In the main corridor, she saw V3 approaching. “Your Excellency, you forgot your lightsabers in your cabin.” He exclaimed, presenting them to her.

She picked the pair up and clamped them onto her armor belt.

“I wish you a pleasant stay on Korriban, your Lordship.” The droid said, while the Sith Lord continued her way towards the boarding ramp.

Exiting the corridor she entered the boarding bay. Her apprentice, Jaesa, was already waiting, sitting on the floor, and the Wrath was feeling her meditating. She had told her to do so whenever they landed on a planet as Darth Chepesh considered it a crucial part of her training. Jeasa already possessed great skill in bending the force to her will, however, misguided emotions and youthful overconfidence had meant doom for many past generations of young Sith, and she was no exception in this matter. The intense meditations should keep her focused and lead her to the full extent of her potential. As the Sith Lord approached, she raised her glance.

“Master…I am sorry, I couldn’t hear you. Have we arrived yet?” She asked.

“No my apprentice, but we should reach the academy in a few moments.”

Jaesa stood up and patted her robes.

 “I’m still so excited every time we visit Korriban and the Dark Council. The air here is truly…inspiring, feeling the force as the ancient masters have, to walk on the sand- “

Her Master interrupted her. “Don’t let your mind wander away, understand? Besides, you will not attend the council meeting; I’ve got a more important task for you.”

The apprentice’s expression stiffened. “What orders have you prepared for me, Master?”

“I’m sending you to the office of Head-Inquisitor Salas. There was a bombing at the Imperial embassy on the planet Voss. Luckily, the Ambassador is unharmed but Voss’ Inquisitor Orell was killed during the explosion. The security was able to track down and arrest three possible suspects. He needs you to interrogate them and find out who the traitor is.”

Jaesa nodded.

“Of course. I will carry out your orders.” She said, looking at her Master with her intense, yellow eyes.

Darth Chepesh felt the _Fury_ slowing down and walked a bit closer towards the boarding ramp. Except for light humming from the engines, the room was quiet. The engines began to shut down and the ship tilted sideward. The two Sith heard the sound of the extending landing gear, followed by a metallic thump. With a loud hissing, the ramp opened, flooding the room with a bright light. As the ramp was fully extended, Lord Chepesh and Jaesa disembarked from the ship. Their steps shook the metal platform, emitting loud clunking sounds as they down its length.

The platform was filled with rows of figures; all dressed in white robes, crowned with magnificent helm crests, and armed with red glowing lightsaber pikes. The contingent of twenty men was a small group of the Wrath’s personal guard. They served as her eyes and ears on many Imperial core worlds. In the war, they had assisted her in great scale operations, including the recent Invasion of Makeb, leading her troops into battle and fighting off Jedi.

After the Council approved of the formation of her personal guard, the Wrath recruited the soldiers from the ranks of Imperial military personnel. The training methods were very similar to those of the scarlet-dressed Guards of Emperor Vitiate. To further symbolize the connection between her guards and the Imperial Guard, Lord Chepesh had the central base be constructed around an old temple complex on the moon of Yavin 4, close to the training facilities of the Emperor’s guards.

They walked towards the crowd, their cloaks fluttering in the wind. One of the guards, undoubtedly recognizable as an officer through his enlarged helm crescent, separated from the rest of the troops and stepped forward. The Sith approached him.

Without saying a word, he bowed lightly.

They stopped. “I am awaited. Lead me to the Council’s chambers.”

The man bowed again. Wordlessly he turned around and with steady steps he led the way. They went after him, closely followed by the rest of her men. As they entered a dark corridor, the wind stopped. The procession quickly continued its way through the narrow halls. Chepesh could hear the metallic clanking of her guard’s armors and the drumming of their steps behind her. The corridors went on, the only light coming from narrow slots on the bottom of the walls. After a while they came to a crossing; more Imperial Guards were slowly roaming through the corridors.

At the crossing, Chepesh halted. “Hold on a moment, Officer.”  

Lord Chepesh turned to her apprentice. “Jaesa, you know where the Head-Inquisitor’s office is. When you are done with his assignment, return to the ship and wait for my return.”

She nodded.

The Wrath pointed at two of her guards. “Go with her. Stay with her if she needs you, otherwise return to your quarters.”

Both bowed. Chepesh then looked back at Jaesa and gave her permission to leave.

They parted and she gave the officer a sign to hurry. Marching deeper into the dim labyrinth of the Academy, they finally came to a massive doorway with two Imperial Guards flanking it.

The officer turned to the Sith Lord and dropped a low bow. He and the rest of her guards disappeared into the dark as the Sith glanced upon the overwhelmingly large entrance to the Dark Council Chambers. The Imperial Guards pushed a button on the wall, opening the door. She stood before an illuminated hallway with huge statues of her beloved Emperor Vitiate, and heard a loud smash behind her as the door slammed shut.

           

 

The Council chamber was a huge, octagonal room with a ceiling that reached dozens of meters in height, while two statues of equally gigantic size were holding it in its place. On the ground, thirteen thrones were arranged in a circle. Twelve had once been reserved for the members of the Dark Council. The thirteenth had been erected for the Emperor’s Wrath, though it was smaller and a bit distant from the other ones. This time only seven, not thirteen, dark lords had gathered for the meeting. Almost half of the Council was gone; the war had demanded its tribute even from the most powerful Sith in the galaxy. Apart from Darth Aruk who was excused, the rest had either died in battle, gone missing, or fallen victim to internal power struggles between the Sith.

The Council session had already started when Lord Chepesh entered. Although the conquest of Makeb was acknowledged shortly by the Council, it was far from the kind-hearted welcome committee she had expected. She was waiting for a status report on the construction of the fleet she had ordered. But time passed and the matter had still not been addressed.

Annoyed, she decided to take the initiative. “My Lords forgive me for interrupting you, but I’m afraid we have a misunderstanding of priorities here. I came here in the premise of being welcomed for my success on Makeb. You chose to ignore this fact, which I regretfully accept, but in any case, important to me is to find out what has happened to the ships you promised me.”

Silence spread across the room.

After a couple of moments, Arkous decided to respond. “Lord Wrath, haven’t you heard the news yet? The Corellian shipyards have been attacked by a group of Selonian slaves. The situation is under control, but they managed to set up explosives. We are still trying to count the casualties.”

Chepesh leaned forward. “I didn’t know you were in charge of Corellia now, Lord Arkous.” She responded.

“He is not, but he is speaking the truth.” Marr interrupted sternly.

“Then tell me how long I will have to wait until the ships are delivered.” She returned.

Marr tried to appease her. “I will send you the full report as soon as I have it, but at the moment we all have to be patient.”

“This is beyond belief!” The Wrath struggled to keep in her anger.

Smiling, Arkous spoke up. “Don’t be upset my Lord, delays in delivery can happen. However, now I believe is the right time to discuss an important matter which concerns you.”

“And what would that be, my Lord?”

“It’s about your requested time off the frontlines.” Arkous explained. “Given the current state of the war, we have concluded that the Empire is in greater need of your help than we previously thought. So, although you wished to stay away from the frontlines for a couple of months, the Council decided to ask for your help on a different front, far from the battlefield.”

“Do explain.”

Arkous pointed at the direction of Darth Nox and gave her the word.

Nox was covered in a shredded, black robe covering her from to head to toe. The undefined mass of fabric made it impossible to identify her species.

Her loud voice emerged and dominated the room. “Wrath, centuries ago was the time of a Sith so powerful, so knowledgeable in the dark side he possessed the power to consume entire worlds. His reign of terror almost brought an end to the Jedi and their pitiful Republic. But in a most tragic turn of events he was killed by his apprentice before he could end his work. His existence was forgotten for the last three hundred years, but not anymore. The dark side has spoken to me and I have discovered the lost location of his remainings. I have sent five expeditions to find the hidden artefact, but all failed.”

“What do you need me to do?” Chepesh asked.

Nox wiggled her head in a strange manner.

“I seek you to finish what they couldn’t.” Nox said as she stretched her long and ossified fingers towards the Wrath. “Search in the ruins on the destroyed world of Malachor 5, bring me the Sith Lord’s knowledge, and I promise you to end this war once and for all.”

As Lord Chepesh realised that she had not much choice but to accept, she agreed. “Very well, I will see what I can do. Send me the coordinates and further details, and I will depart as soon as my ship is ready.”


	3. TRUTH

Jaesa followed the way to Lord Salas’ office, her Master’s guards following. Not knowing what lesson the Head-Inquisitor had prepared for her today, and in consideration of the boring simplicity with which she thought the hallways were created, she let her mind drift a bit. She began trying to calm herself, something her Master advised her to do, from the mixture of feelings that ran through her stomach. She was concerned whether she could still hold up to her Master’s expectations.

Under the obligations of the Jedi Code she had been forbidden to follow her intuition. She felt the Jedi had treated her as a number, a mere weapon which they could add to their ranks. In her own view, her place was under the authority of the Inquisition. Only with them could she reach her full potential.

As she walked further down the corridor she noticed locked doors on both sides, hearing screeches coming from inside. They were accompanied by the tormented voices of those who were convicted of treason, used as practice for the prospective Inquisitors. She imagined the horrifying scenes behind the sealed gates. Pictures of melting flesh and breaking bones appeared before her. With a smile she continued on her way.

After a while they arrived before the entrance to the Inquisition’s Headquarter. She turned around to look at her Master’s guards.

“It’s alright from now, you two can leave.” She ordered them.

Both bowed and left in silence.  The door to Lord Salas’ office opened and she stepped inside.

His office wasn’t built differently from the hallways; dark stone and metal structures. The purple banners of the Inquisition were hanging from the ceiling. Their colour was based on the puple kyber crystals inside the Inquisitor’s lightsabers. They could also be found shown on the Inquisitors’ banners, where they adorned their center. As Jaesa stood in the reception room, waiting and looking at the numerous pieces of Sith pottery in the shelves, a silver service droid came lumbering into the room.

“Welcome to the bureau of the Imperial Inquiry and Liquidation Service! Lord Salas has expected your arrival. If you would please follow me to his Lordship, he will welcome you shortly.” The droid invited her in, before turning back.

She followed it through the small corridor it had previously entered. They ended up in another room, likewise filled with shelves full of pottery. She looked around a bit more, when all of a sudden she could hear approaching footsteps.

“My child, it is good to see you again!” She heard a gruff voice speaking.

She saw a bent, aged man in the violet robes of the Inquisition, standing there with stretched out arms. She looked into his face and noticed his many wrinkles, his crooked smile, the yellow skewed teeth and the intense amber eyes that were glowing from under his cloak.

He was Head-Inquisitor Salas. He was known for his role as Head-Inquisitor and the sadistic malice with which he used to carry out his will. Over time Jaesa had grown familiar with him and his work. It had once been Lord Chepesh’s explicit request that she was to be trained as an Inquisitor, to provide the Empire with her best service.

“It is a pleasure to meet you again my Lord!” She replied to him, slightly bowing.

His smile widened. “Oh child, the pleasure is on my side! Say, how did the Invasion of Makeb go? We heard all kinds of stories about the ongoing operations.”

Walking with her through the large room, he went on. “I heard your actions left the planet as a wasteland, killing almost every life form on its surface.”

The memories caused a smile on her face.

“Indeed we did, but we had to, the only alternative was to let the planet be destroyed and that was against our operative goals.” She admitted.

Lord Salas looked at her with an unreadable expression. “Ah, I see. I knew you would not disappoint us Jaesa.”

“Sure there have been a lot of Jedi on Makeb, I expect you hunted them down properly?” He asked.

She tried to find the right words. “There was a Jedi command squad on the planet when we were acting there. They organized the evacuation of the citizens but we…well, we were in a rather critical phase of the operation, so Master said we shouldn’t waste time chasing them.”

He halted, noticeably displeased by what she had said. “You mean you did not kill the Jedi?”

“No, we didn’t, but for the benefit of the plan.” She answered him.

“What a pity...”

Without a further word he continued to walk with her.

“Come child, I think you already know why I have requested your presence.” He said, while walking through one of the smaller doors in the room.

The room they came into was not unfamiliar to Jaesa, as she had been there many times before. It was Lord Salas’ personal investigation cell. Desks were standing at the walls. In the cell, she saw three crouching men wearing uniforms of the Imperial Diplomatic Corps, hanging from polished chains. She kneeled down to look at their faces; they had been beaten up fairly harshly and seemed to be unconscious. Apart from several teeth, they had also lost some of their fingers. After she had admired the bleeding stumps on their hands, which had already spawned little puddles of blood beneath, she went to address the prisoners’ unconscious state to Lord Salas.

“My Lord, why have you had them beaten unconscious, doesn’t that make it unnecessarily harder for us to extract important information?” She asked him openly.

He remained silent for a moment, and spoke up again, this time clearly amused. “Dear child, use the powers you have mastered and the suspects will surely reveal their crimes to you.”

At first she was unsure what to respond. The powers he referred to was her unique ability to read someone’s mind and intentions through the force. It had been the reason why the Jedi Order wanted her to join them and the reason why Lord Chepesh suggested the path of the Inquisition for her advanced education. Through channeling her anger and hatred she would enter a person’s mind, dissolve it and extract unaltered information directly from their memory.“The Inquisitors have requested your help and that is a great honor for someone so young.” He persisted.

“It will be done my Lord.” She assured him.

She looked at the first man crouching before her; his face was swollen and purple from the beatings. She placed her hand on his forehead and began to enter his mind. Although he hadn’t been conscious before, he started to scream wildly. Years of practice had left her unfazed by the prisoner’s agony. As she stared into the man’s memories she saw flashing images of festivities and meetings, proof of corruption, but nothing significant. She tried to go deeper. A blurred picture of the embassy on Voss appeared. But to her great disappointment there was no connection between this man and the embassy bombing. Frustrated, she exited his mind.  His screams had set, as had the rattling of the chains he was hanging from.

She first looked at his lifeless body and then to Lord Salas. “He wasn’t the traitor.”

“Good, good.” He replied. “Continue with the next.”

She nodded and turned towards the second prisoner. She took a deep breath before entering his mind. Again the embassy appeared, much faster than before. Something of interest caught her attention: a group of people were standing in the office of the Ambassador. The prisoner and others were on guard duty, as the Inquisitor of Voss-Ka and the Imperial Ambassador were chatting with each other for a while before the Inquisitor left. Jaesa closely watched when the Ambassador opened his com-console. Perhaps she had expected to see something that could incriminate the Ambassador himself; but instead all she saw was a call between him and Darth Arkous about nothing relevant to the investigation.  She decided to look further. Almost immediately, a new memory caught her attention: the prisoner was talking to a hooded figure. To her the image looked suspicious. A closer look revealed to her a glimpse of the hooded person, the colourful skin and crystal blue eyes of a female Voss.

To Jaesa’s disappointment, it turned out to be something trivial, a love affair the prisoner seemed to have sustained with the Voss, not secret plans of treachery. Shuddering at the last intimate images, she exited his mind.

“Good grief.” She mumbled.

When she finally turned to the third man, she was hoping he would give her the proof she needed and that Lord Salas so craved. She pressed her hand onto his blood smeared forehead and entered a third time. As with the other two, there wasn’t any surprise in the exposed memories appearing before her eyes. Slowly the feeling began to arise in Jaesa that her time had been wasted.

Previously the Inquisitors had never failed to find wanted criminals. She thought whoever had done the pre-investigation had done a terrible job. While she got continuously more bitter about the fact that none of these three men turned out to be the bomber, she still didn’t want to give up. She decided to not let this situation, however frustrating it may be, get the better of her.

She regained her concentration and set out for a final attempt. Rifling through strands and strands of memories, leaving behind nothing but ignited piles of this man’s mind, she once more couldn’t find one thing, which even in the slightest supported the allegations placed on anybody in this room. Defeated, she was forced to withdraw.

Back in her own mind, her vision remained blurred, while red and white flashes shot past her eyes. She was faced with the shaming certainty that she would have to return to her Master empty handed. Angered, she started to blame the prisoners for her failure; as if they had only been sent there to undermine her efforts. In furious rage she gripped onto the throat of the still shaking man in front of her. She pressed, harder and harder, until the sound of cracking bones could be heard.

“Then this was our wanted terrorist. Good, let him feel the justice of the Inquisition.” Jaesa heard Lord Salas hissing.

With great force she sent the prisoner in her grip flying towards the wall.

“I didn’t find anything, my Lord. There was nothing about them that leads to the bombing.” She hesitantly tried to explain.

“You imply that these men were innocent?” Lord Salas gave her an incredulous.

She glanced back at the lifeless prisoners that now lay in front of her.

“Yes, my Lord. The first man was decadent and corrupt filth; I’m not sorry he’s dead, but he didn’t plant the bomb. Same thing with goes the other two. Whoever told you these were prime suspects should be publicly quartered.” She answered enraged.

Salas remained quiet. More wrinkles appeared in his face, as his intense gaze hovered over the corpses.

“Interesting to know.” He declared in his gruff voice.

Jaesa watched the old man studying at the second prisoner.

“What did you say about that man?” He pointed at the prisoner.

“Nothing, my Lord. He was just like the others.” She answered, but she felt insecure why the Head-Inquisitor insisted on the second prisoner.

Salas gave a passing smile. “Child, don’t trifle with me. Tell me what you saw in that man’s mind.” He pressured.

Jaesa tried not to stumble over her own words. “I saw him breaking the law for interspecies relationships; he and a Voss primitive. He also saw a talk between the killed Inquisitor and the Ambassador, and then between the Ambassador and Darth Arkous-“

“Arkous? Are you sure you saw the Ambassador with Arkous!” Salas interrupted loudly. His shining eyes were widened and his thin, wrinkly lips gave view of his teeth.

“Yes, my Lord.” She replied.

With the same excited expression, Salas turned away and hissed.

Jaesa was worried to see Lord Salas so disappointed by what she thought was her failed investigation.

“Is everything alright, Lord Salas?” She carefully asked.

He turned around. His face had become darker. “Child, Arkous and his surroundings are under suspicion of belonging to the Revanites. If you saw him with the Ambassador, shortly before my men were slaughtered in that embassy, it means something we might have to follow up.”

She was taken by surprise. “What are we going to do?” She asked.

Salas’ eyes narrowed and he firmly grabbed Jaesa by the shoulders. “Go now, I sense the Council is finished. Return to your Master and don’t tell anybody what you saw, not even her.“

“Why shouldn’t I tell her? She’s the Emperor’s Wrath and my Master.”

Salas pressed her. “No, she is cooperating with Arkous, we have to search further. Now leave!” He yelled, as he pushed her out of the cell. 

With an uneasy feeling she returned to the ship.


End file.
